


Closure

by Yeah_JSmith



Series: Lawyers AU [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Aftermath of a Case, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 03:02:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11637576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yeah_JSmith/pseuds/Yeah_JSmith
Summary: Defense attorney Nick Wilde deals with the aftermath of the Bellwether case. Judy Hopps from the DA’s office offers some surprisingly good insight.





	Closure

The bar was dim, the soft light soothing on his tired eyes. Nick loosely gripped the same glass of tepid blackberry vodka he’d ordered an hour prior, attention mostly on the television screen. The whole city was talking about the case. Dawn Bellwether, a power-mad home-grown terrorist (or a bullied, abused, scared small mammal lashing out at those who hurt her, if you spun it right), had finally been sentenced. It was over. It was _supposed_ to be over, anyway, but since when had politics ever let anything rest?

Lucas Woolworth sat, his usual blend of smug and anger on prominent display, with an elk in a suit, discussing the results on live television. The owner of the _Barrel_ was one of those rare predator traditionalists, staunchly agreeing with the absolute scat Woolworth liked to spew about homosexuals, the economy, reproductive rights, the younger generation, government conspiracies, and how everything would be better if they wound the clock back sixty years, but dismissing the vitriol toward predators as _just a ratings gimmick._ Nick hated him desperately, but there was only one place in Zootopia that sold blackberry vodka, so there Nick sat, eyes drawn to and stomach repulsed by the ram on the screen.

“...And how was Mayor Bellwether supposed to prove her innocence when the guy defending her was a _fox?_ It was just a big political play for a kangaroo court, you mark my words. And the prosecutor? Some carrot farmer from the sticks, fresh out of law school! Anybody that green would be crushed in a second by someone who actually gave a-”

“Turn that garbage off,” a voice from his right said firmly. “Honestly, _kangaroo court?_ Can that idiot get any more speciesist?”

He recognized that voice: Judy Hopps, the _last_ mammal he wanted to see. She was a con artist through and through. He couldn't bring himself to care why she was in the Fanged Barrel at three PM on a Tuesday, but he didn't want company, and he turned to tell her so.

“What are you…” His eyes widened. He’d seen a lot of Hopps over the past few months; she was, after all, Gesa Klaue’s heir apparent, and as ruthless as she was short. But every time he’d seen her, she had worn sleek skirt suits and crisp button-ups, conservative outfits that were neither in style nor ancient enough to paint her as an outsider. Today, she wore a simple pink gingham top and form-fitting jeans. She looked normal, if highly annoyed. If he hadn't been so familiar with her voice, he wouldn't have recognized her. As an afterthought, he finished, “...doing here?”

“I'm sorry, did you not want company?” Her smile was genuinely apologetic. It made his stomach turn. “That was silly of me to assume. I just wanted to congratulate you, Mr. Wilde.”

 _Mr. Wilde._ You could always tell newcomers from a mile away. They’d address other lawyers as _Mr. So-and-so,_ or _Attorney Surname,_ and tended to speak more precisely than even law professors required. The cute - oh, wait, she was a bunny -  _silly_  little quirk that everyone eventually overcame just seemed like a taunt, though. Her sunny and almost naive demeanor hid a dark, ambitious mind that seemed not to recognize the meaning of professional courtesy.

“You won the case, Ms. Hopps,” he replied, waving his paw at the television, which had been muted but not turned off. Her press conference had been almost as bad as the sheep on the screen, and everyone, pred and prey alike, _loved her_ for it. “Why would you congratulate me?”

“For being smart enough and compassionate enough defend her. The verdict was a foregone conclusion. You could have said no, but you didn't. She targeted predators on purpose, animally victimized and killed at least one fox we know of, and tried to turn 90% of our population against the minority, to which you belong. And you took the job anyway.” She reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away. Her smile didn’t drop, but her ears did. “This was never about winning or losing for you and me, it was about integrity. I know I probably didn't seem very polite. I said things about your client that would necessarily reflect on your character, because I was doing the job _I_ was given. But I think you're a stand-up guy and a...a really good attorney.”

“Oh, well, in the face of such high praise, whatever will I say in return,” he drawled, trying to keep an open expression on his face. What was her game? What did she want from him?

“You don't have to say anything. I'm not here for you. I was only coming in to get my keys; had to leave them last night when we celebrated a little too hard. But I saw you, and...no offense, but you look miserable. It’s not...Lucas Woolworth, is it? What he said about you? Because he’s not worth it. He’s stupid enough to think the burden of proof is on the defendant. We don't need to assassinate his character; he does it on his own.”

He snorted. Well, she wasn't wrong, and she looked like she believed what she was saying, but she was an attorney. Saying something ridiculous and making it sound good was part of the law school curriculum. It was what she’d done at the press conference after the case, spinning the matter to make every party out to be a hero, even him.

At first, he’d been excited to defend Bellwether. It wasn’t just a chance to get his name out there, but a chance to prove that even a _fox_ could be the bigger mammal, could participate in the justice system. Now, though, when all was said and done, he was exhausted and wrung out and he didn’t have any closure at all. His mother had stopped talking to him just for taking the job. Prey supremacists were arguing that he hadn’t worked his tail off for this case. He’d lost _fur_ out of stress, and for what? A foregone conclusion? A third-year student could have handled this one. What stupid idealism had moved him to take the job, again? “Everyone’s thinking it, Carrot Sticks. He’s just saying it.”

“Firstly, don't call me Carrot Sticks. My name is Judy Hopps, and you’ll be using it a lot, if I’m not fired after the mistakes I made on this case. Secondly, how could anyone believe what he’s saying? You did a good thing, and you helped make the world a better place.” She leaned against the bar stool beside him, as the bar was higher than her head. “She tried to break this city. You helped prove that justice is stronger than corruption.”

After the mistakes she’d made? What mistakes? She had done everything perfectly. That was one of the reasons he disliked her so much. Every word out of her mouth had seemed scripted for a theoretical case study. Nobody could do that naturally. She was conning somebody. He just wasn’t sure who, and he had to assume he was one of her targets.

“Many would say,” he said carefully, watching her for clues, “that the world is already a good place. Even under Bellwether’s proposed plan, predators were treated better than our great-grandparents were.”

She scoffed. _“Not as bad as it could be_ should never be mistaken for _good._ If we want to make the world a better place, we can't settle for _not completely terrible.”_

One of Nick’s subtler talents was analyzing mammals. He could take in their stances, their expressions, their tones and tiny movements and verbal tics, and process them quickly. He had expected her to give him a platitude about different times, or even avoid the topic entirely, but this was something else. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

“Don’t you?” She looked up at him, confused, and the unintentional vulnerability in her gaze made him uncomfortable. It had been a long time since he’d interacted with someone who believed in anything except the inherent badness of mammals. “Isn’t that why you do the job? The justice system can’t work without you, and without a justice system, we won’t ever be able to move past _not as bad as it could be.”_

She sounded like a child. Except most children couldn’t manage to dig in the trash and still come out smelling like roses, which was what she’d done with the Bellwether case. He still couldn’t decide if Gesa Klaue recusing herself due to species bias was the best thing that could have happened, or the worst. On the one paw, the leading prosecutor had been another small prey mammal, beyond reproach in the eyes of most mammals. On the other, now Judy Hopps was making a name for herself, and he’d probably never be rid of her.

“I do the job because I’m good at it,” he told her instead of voicing any of this. She already had a bit of an ego. No need to feed it.

“You certainly are, Mr. Wilde. Anyway, that’s what I wanted to say. Congratulations. I really admire you, professionally and...otherwise. It took a lot of courage to do what you did.”

He watched her smile at the bartender, exchanging some pleasantries that suggested she knew him on a more animal level. Nick’s eyes moved back to the screen. Lucas Woolworth looked like he was about to explode. What did he have to be angry about? Hopps was right; they had both taken steps to prove that everyone, no matter the species, from the sleaziest street dealer to the Mayor herself, ought to be dealt with equally under the law.

The law was flawed, and so were mammals, but the system worked. That was the point. And if the system worked, things _could_ get better.

“Hey, Carrots,” he said as she moved to walk away.

She clenched her paw. “What did I say about calling me-”

“I didn’t call you Carrot Sticks, I called you Carrots. You know, because you’re so pointed and _sweet.”_ As she processed that with adorable confusion on her face, he finished, “Tell Gesa I said you deserve a raise.”

At this, she laughed. “Not on your life! Ms. Klaue _hates_ you. They call you Slick Nick down at the office. Guess that’s how you know you’re the best.”

“Guess so. I’ll see you next time.”

“Hopefully. Maybe if I’ve proven myself, Ms. Klaue will let me do more than answer phones and run coffee.”

 _Ouch._ He’d been right, when he’d first seen her: she was the token bunny. But maybe not so much, now. Time would tell, but Gesa would be an idiot to ignore the potential in this one.

“Anyway, I’m off. See you, Mr. Wilde.”

He waved her off, digging out his wallet. He wouldn’t need to finish his drink after all. A thousand Lucas Woolworths could say what they liked; they weren’t worth his time or attention. It was time to focus on the important things. Like hiring an efficient case manager and updating his advertising. Something had to change if he wanted to go from Nick Wilde, Some Guy Who Passed the Bar Exam to Nick Wilde, Defender of the Indefensible.

**Author's Note:**

> I might flesh this idea out at some point. It's a universe in which the Scouts weren't complete tools and Judy reconciled with Gideon in her teens, sending both main characters down very different life paths. I already have ideas, but it always gets kinky when I think about it and there isn't much kink in the Zootopia fandom, so it's probably not a thing readers enjoy. Oh well. Kinky lawyer AU can stay in my head.


End file.
